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Thursday, April 30, 2015

It gives me so much joy and excitement to share this news with you. I am engaged!

Sam popped the question on Saturday the 25th April 2015... producing that little black box with a gorgeous ring nestled into the cushioning inside.

It was the biggest shock and I didn't see it coming at all - but now that I've had a chance to get used to the idea... I am thrilled.

Since last week Saturday when my entire life changed forever - I have been having the most incredible dreams about weddings.

I've started planning away like a crazed bride-to-be should!

If anyone has any recommendations or quirky ideas PLEASE feel free to share them.

Obviously I'd like to keep a lot of the wedding as a surprise but I can tell you that the date has been set and we have decided on a forest wedding. Very bohemian (of course!).

We've had an engagement photo-shoot and are in the midst of planning our engagement party... all the while I'm sitting with pages upon pages of AWESOME wedding ideas, venues, decor, DRESSES.....

It's so exciting I could quite literally pop.

I truly never thought that this day would happen for me.

I've always wanted it... the white dress, the big day, the Happily Ever After.... but I've always been scared of it too. I was so badly hurt in the past that I didn't trust love and commitment. Not for a second. I always ran away and mucked things up for myself because I really didn't know what I wanted or if I could be the woman someone needed me to be.... but, I know now that I can be all of that and all I can say is this:

2015 is definitely my year. We're not even half way through yet and already so much has happened:

A literary agent likes my book entitled, The Other Woman. The full manuscript is now being considered by publishers and I hear back soon!!!

I got engaged!

I finally get my journalism certificate next month.

The trip to Hong Kong, an island on the Philippines and nearly a month in Bali is fast approaching!

I won a years worth of Essie Gel Manicures at a 5 star spa!

I'm just really, really happy right now. It's been such a whirlwind and so unexpected - but I am truly happy.

Finally, the girl that always ran away from love and happiness is finally embracing it.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Rotten Tomatoes gave this film 26% on the 'Tomatometer' (basically: making it rotten).

Here's what I have to say about that:

I honestly couldn't believe all of the bad reviews because I absolutely adored this film!

*That being said, I do have a tendency to lean towards the stereotypical rom-coms. I'm a woman in my mid-twenties, I dig that shit. Give me a delicious bottle of shiraz, some freshly made popcorn (perhaps with a box of Astros or Smarties sprinkled and melted on top) and a romance and you have one happy lady right here.

Love, Rosie has everything I could possibly want in a film of it's type:

Romance

Drama

Comedy (British comedy at that!)

Charm

Beauty

Heartache

Struggle

Pain

Loss

A Happy Ending

It has everything - regardless of the countless cliche's and the predictability... this is one film I just fell in love with. It's hilarious!

I laughed out loud. I scrunched up my fists in frustration. My heart broke and mended. It's just gorgeous, thoroughly enjoyable and perfect for a quiet evening in.

An adaption from Cecelia Ahern's (author of P.S I Love You) novel 'Where Rainbows End,' comes the story Rosie and Alex. They are best friends and always have been - but on Rosie's 18th birthday they end up kissing for the first time.

Rosie, too drunk to remember, makes some silly comment about wanting to forget the night ever happened. This makes Alex think that she regrets their kiss... And so begins a 12 year saga of their missed opportunities to finally be together.

I felt that the Lily Collins and Sam Clafin had incredible onscreen chemistry.... and just by the by, Clafin is bloody gorgeous!

Overall I'd give this movie 4/5 stars.

The only downfall to me was the constant back and forth. There was always something in the way of them being together when it was SO SO clear that they are meant for each other.

It does get infuriating... but then, haven't we all had that certain someone that we missed the opportunity to be with?? This movie will resonate within everyone and touch everyone's hearts in some way or another.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Oh boy... it's nearly the end of the month already and I've done absolutely no blogging yet!

The truth is, this is the first morning all month that I actually can - so here it goes.

I don't want to give too much away in this post and spoil my April Monthly Favourites post which is coming up next week (how scary is that!? Where did this month go!?) - but right now I'm nestled in my bed with a hot water bottle at my feet and my Macbook on my lap.

There's a big cup of Cranberry, Apple and Cinnamon tea in my one hand, as the other finally types this to you.

When I submitted the first three chapters of my manuscript to some literary agents at the end of March, I really didn't expect much to come of it.

I don't know if it was that I just didn't want to get my hopes up or if I just had a lot of self-doubt but I just didn't expect things to turn out well. I guess I was bracing myself for that rejection letter I'd already drafted up in my head that came to me in recurring nightmares.

As I mentioned in my previous post, after sending my chapters off to the agents I started to reread them and started picking up typo's and gremlins that somehow I'd missed before.

I was absolutely mortified, so every chance I had to spare (during my lunch breaks and after work) were dedicated solely to polishing up my work... again.

I emailed the agents and begged them to let me resubmit, explaining my dilemma.

The one response I got scared me even more - they said that if it was just typos then it wouldn't change the outcome anyway.

In my mind, I was 100% fucked.

I resubmitted anyway and forgot all about it. Well, that's half true. Of course I knew that my book was now in an agents hands for the very first time... and that's big!!! But, I could do nothing more. The rest was now up to fate. So I carried on with my days, finally taking a break from all the editing.

To be honest, I didn't even want to pick up the book I am busy on, On Writing by Stephen King.

I just needed a break from the literature world.

A couple of days after resubmitting the first three chapters of my manuscript, I had my first response.

I took in this really deep breath and braced myself for what it would say.

I had no high hopes - it wasn't that I didn't think I was good enough, far from it actually. I know my book is good... but an agent liking my book?? That's HUGE and things like that just don't happen to people like me.

I'm not a 'lucky' person. I've never really won anything in my life until two months ago when I won a years worth of free manicures at a 5 star spa and even then I was like... 'Whaaaaat???'

I read the email as my heart thundered in my chest..... then, at the top of my lungs at 05h30 in the morning I started screaming, "Oh my GOD!!!"

Dad came rushing into the room, thinking another robber was trying to break into the house.

Tears sprung to my eyes.

The thing I want most in this world finally happened.... an agent likes my book.

They like my book so much so that they requested the rest of the manuscript.

Maybe my luck is changing??? Or maybe my book really is just good.

I was thrilled!

So now that gets me to today - I sent my full manuscript off to the agent (or angel..) on Friday afternoon and now wait her response.

After submitting, I finally let my hair down with a (big) bottle of OBS.

I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend watching Hank Moody in Californication, sleeping past 5am, walking on the beach with my dog and having time with my nephew.

I took a well deserved break for the first time in months and feel absolutely rejuvinated and ready to start cracking on my third book...... what it will be, that remains a mystery... for now

What is to become of my book at the agent right now? I don't know..... but maybe soon, The Other Woman, will be on the bookshelves near you!

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

March was a reasonably quiet month spent mostly enjoying my own company. I needed some time to unwind and take a breather from all the socials which have been ongoing since December!

Important and Life-Altering Thing That Happened In March:

Definitely sending my manuscript off to a literary agent.

You can read a bit more about that HERE. In short though, it was terrifying! I've never had the courage to do that before and what the above post doesn't mention is that after you send the manuscript off, the waiting game begins. It's human torture in it's most gut-wrenching form.

To make matters worse, you start flipping through your copies of what you've sent off,which is usually:

The First 3 Chapters of the Manuscript

A Full Plot Synopsis

A Cover Letter

A Curriculum Vitae

You start picking up even MORE spelling mistakes that make you so angry. HOW did you not SEE that one?! How did it slip through?! It wasn't there before! What the hell happened!?

Then the worry kicks in. You start asking yourself questions like:

Will they reject me because of that?

Will they think it's sloppy?

Did I rush this???

Reading your work back for the millionth time you wonder if they'll enjoy the story and wish that they could see the rest of the book because the first 3 chapters are great and all, but the heart of the story lies right in the middle when things spice up! Then you think, but a book needs to grip you right from the start!

Does mine do that?

Oh the torture!!!

OK... Getting back on track, I'd like to get the negative things out of the way first.

My Not So Favorite Thing That Happened In

March:

In March, I moved house. That's the nice part... I LOVE moving and redecorating. I think it's ingrained in me to want to nest... the bad part was when I got robbed though.

Yip. Some delightful assholes decided it would be fun to smash my car windows, pop my bonnet and steal EVERYTHING. Sentimental things you just can't replace... so that was really upsetting but the rest of the month managed to help me forget it.

My Mind Was Kept Busy With

Renovations:

Moving into my new home meant drilling the shit out of walls to hang up paintings, clocks and photographs. I did just that.... almost giving my father a heart-attack when I drilled into our electrical wires..... oops.

Mum's, Sister-in-Law's and Handsome Bearded Fellow's Birthdays:

We don't really go out for dinner much as a family, but when it's a birthday we tend to spoil ourselves. Mum turned another year younger and we had a jolly good time at a pub!There were another two birthdays this month too (my poor bank balance looks SO grim....)My sister-in-law and the handsome bearded fellow both entered their dirty thirties and we celebrated in style!My sister-in-law threw a Bohemian style party (I didn't even have to dress up!) which was a ton of fun at this gorgeous bistro in town called Bloos.

Ashley came down for a visit and we had a little reunion... gosh I miss him now that he's moved away!!! Just not the same.

I also bumped into one of my best girlfriend, Chanel!

Favorite Downtime:

Enjoying a nice glass of wine, red or white, it doesn't matter. I quit Crossfit. I didn't quit because it scared me or I died of muscle pain... I quit because I literally just can't afford it right now. I'm busy saving like CRAZY to afford this trip to Southeast Asia in 2 months time and unfortunately, as much as Crossfit would have helped me to get that Bikini Bod for Bali, I just can't right now.

Back to my jogs and sit-ups at home I'm afraid! (and back to the wine.... because lets face it, I love it).

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